LATEST British Speedway news from around the tracks up and down the country...

BIG WEEKEND PREVIEW: CLRC, SCUNTHORPE
SCUNTHORPE celebrate their 20th anniversary at the Eddie Wright Raceway with the staging of the prestigious Championship League Riders’ Championship today (Sunday, 3pm).

The first-ever meeting at the venue took place on March 27, 2005, and today’s is one of the biggest ever staged there, and the first time the event has come to North Lincolnshire.

Home hopes rest with Steve Worrall and Jake Allen but with top riders from right across the Cab Direct Championship involved, it’s set to be a terrific conclusion to the Big Weekend.

Promoter Rob Godfrey said: “It doesn’t seem like 20 years since we opened, but I can’t think of a better way of celebrating it than with the staging of the Championship League Riders’ Championship at Scunthorpe.

“It’s a huge event that will attract supporters from across the country. The CLRC is normally held towards the end of the season, but for this year, we’ve switched to the start of the season. I think it’s a good move. The riders are fit and healthy at this time of year, plus rider availability is much easier.

“The other big plus is that we can publicise the winner for the rest of the season – it can become a big thing when the CLRC champion visits the away tracks!

“Steve and Jake will be very keen to provide a home winner. But every rider in the line-up is a heat-leader in the Cab Direct Championship and capable of winning the event.

“There are 22 races, including the semi and the final, and it’s going to be a great afternoon of speedway. We’re proud of our racetrack and there’s going to be plenty of thrilling action.”


WORRALL: HAPPY TO BE BACK
SCUNTHORPE No.1 Steve Worrall is pleased to be back racing and back with his local club as he goes into today’s (Sunday) Championship League Riders’ Championship at the Eddie Wright Raceway.

Worrall had to sit out the second half of last season due to illness and he then took the decision to focus on racing in the second tier as he seeks the correct work/life balance.

And he made an encouraging start to the campaign with a competitive display in the Pairs at Workington on Saturday.

Worrall said: “It’s good to go back to Scunthorpe. That move just made the most sense. I want to enjoy racing, not travel for hours every time, and I want my family to be there alongside me.

It’s a great racetrack. Rob (Godfrey) puts his heart and soul into it. It would be nice if they could try and get some more trophies for the club and the fans. If I can help along the way, that’s brilliant.”


REDCAR CHASE MORE SILVERWARE
REDCAR co-promoter Jamie Swales feels his club have real chance of completing a perfect weekend in today’s (Sunday) Championship League Riders’ Championship.

The Bears were victorious in the Pairs at Workington and their winning riders from that meeting, Charles Wright and Erik Riss, will be joined by Danny King in the line-up at Scunthorpe.

Swales said: “There’s no reason why we can’t go and get another trophy. I don’t think there is an outstanding home track advantage for anybody and all three of our boys are more than capable.

“One of the big advantages of running this meeting at the start of the year is that a win can give a rider and the club a real shot in the arm ahead of the Bears meetings.

“The support we had yesterday was superb and I expect another big Bears turnout today. The fans always travel in numbers and do us proud, and it really does make a difference for the riders.

“I think it’s going to be a great meeting, regardless of the outcome as Scunthorpe is a track that always provides fantastic racing.”


BEARS PAIR-FECTION AGAIN!
REDCAR made it three Pairs titles in four years with victory in the first half of the Championship Big Weekend at Workington on Saturday.

Bears duo Erik Riss and Charles Wright defeated Poole in the Final, with the race featuring a crash between Riss and Lewis Kerr on the first lap from which the Pirates rider was disqualified.

Riss then overtook Zach Cook in the re-run with Wright third as the Teesside outfit made sure of the crown, with Wright taking it for the fourth time in his career in total.

Glasgow duo Chris Harris and Kyle Howarth had led the scoring from the qualifiers, but they were beaten by Redcar in the first semi-final, whilst Plymouth’s Nicolai Klindt and Ben Barker were edged out by Poole in the second.

Riss said: “We would rather have won it with four riders in the race, but it’s racing and it was a tight move.

“There was a lot of water on the track for the Final and I had a lot of speed coming into the corner, and Lewi did as well. We were really close and because it was so greasy we came together.

“It was a racing incident and it was unfortunate to end that way, but at the end of the day we got the win, and this is why we came here!”


KERR: SAD WAY TO END
POOLE’S Lewis Kerr was in philosophical mood after his new club’s Championship Pairs hopes were effectively ended by his disqualification from the Final.

Kerr, who ironically had won the Pairs with Redcar in 2022, was on the wrong end on this occasion after he was judged to be the cause of a crash with Bears racer Erik Riss.

That meant the Pirates’ opponents only had to make sure of finishing the race in the re-run to retain the trophy.

Kerr said: “I’m feeling pretty rough, it was a bit of a sad way to end the meeting, but at the same time a decent start for the season.

“It was great, the whole meeting was fantastic and me and Zach were looking for each other.

“We knew what we had to do and it worked but, like I said, it is just a shame the way it ended.”